Old Orchard Beach, ME

One day, Laurissa and I spontaneously bought a Groupon for tickets to a water park. Neither of us had been to a water park in years, we actually had no idea where the park was, and we are both in our mid-20's (not your normal water park demographic) - talk about an impulse purchase!

That being said, the water park was a bit of a bust. And after spending a lot of time waiting in chilly lines, and riding a grand total of four rides, we decided enough was enough.

But why waste a perfectly good day in Maine? So we headed to Old Orchard Beach - once again, not knowing anything about it.

Old Orchard Beach is incredibly touristy, or at least the little we saw of it was. But it was such a fun spot. Their main street was just a mix of ice cream stores, surf shops, and gift shops. The main road lead right to the beach which was completely packed with people! Seriously, every inch of sand was covered with sunbathers - which was really shocking considering the weather was overcast and in the low 70s and both of us were wearing sweatshirts. There were even some kids swimming in the frigid water.

(Some Saturday fun in the sort of sun.)

(Love this boardwalk)

There was also a quaint and picturesque boardwalk that extended out over the water. Both starving, and now in the mood for seafood, we decided to check out what the boardwalk had to offer and grab some lunch.

(Under the pier.)

The very last spot on the boardwalk, facing right out to the great Atlantic Ocean, belongs to The Pier Pub. You can tell based on the blasting music and their extensive drink menu that this place is the spot to be on summer nights in Old Orchard Beach. We each ordered a Sea Dog Sunfish and I kid you not this was the best beer I have ever had - a Belgium white beer with peaches and grapefruit.

(View of the beach from The Pier Pub)

As for food, I had the fried shrimp platter and Laurissa had the lobster roll, both were fantastic.

(My mouth is water just looking at this...)

Despite being full of amazing beer and seafood, getting ice cream was a given. We tried a local place along the main street where we were served by two men who could have easily been on The Jersey Shore. Anyway, my coconut chocolate chip ice cream was the perfect end to a spontaneous beach trip.

(Ferris wheel at Old Orchard Beach)

Summering on the Cod (aka the Cape)

The ocean is my happy place. And a long weekend on the beach was exactly what I needed.

The four of us (Marissa, Jess, Alyse and myself) departed Boston Friday afternoon on the Cape Flyer - a train that runs from South Station in Boston to Hyannis. I highly recommend taking the train because not only do you avoid all of the traffic, you can drink on the train!

(Prosecco for the train ride.)

(And chocolate!)

We arrived in Hyannis a little before 8 p.m. on Friday and checked into our hotel which was perfect. The Cape Cod Harbor House Inn is fantastic. It had a nice beachy feel to it and a little kitchenette. After we had unpacked a little and changed (semi-unintentionally) into matching outfits we went to meet Jess' friend at Torino's, a bar and restaurant in downtown Hyannis, where we kicked off our beach weekend with some pinot and apps outside on the patio.

(Casually matching)

Saturday we started our day with our hotel's complimentary breakfast on the patio overlooking the harbor. Talk about how I would like to start my day everyday - coffee with a view!

We decided to rent bikes for the day so we could get around a little easier. And after biking around town for a while we were all starving and decided to check out the place right across the street from our hotel that Alyse's boss had recommended - Spanky's Clam Shack. I had a lobster roll which was phenomenal and so packed with lobster meat it was impossible to eat as a sandwich! Plus, I of course didn't finish my meal so we decided to save the lobster meat to add to mac n cheese later. We were also adventurous and tried oysters and I did not freak out this time!

(So good!)

Incredibly full of seafood, it was time to hit the beach. A short bike ride later and we were soaking up the sun at Kalmus Beach. The water was a little too cold for swimming but it felt nice to have that salty air on my face again. A nap and a couple of margaritas later and we were all feeling incredibly relaxed.

(I swear I was having fun.)

(My jellyfish friend.)

(Lol if you thought we wouldn't match.)

(MSU girls take on the Cape.)

We decided to get creative with dinner Saturday night. Instead of going out, we decided to take advantage of our kitchenette and patio's view of the harbor and put together a little picnic. Our picnic consisted of cheese, crackers, grapes, apples, "homemade" lobster mac, chocolate, carrots, hummus, and wine. Such a simple but awesome meal.

After our picnic and some ice cream we headed back downtown and wound up at the British Beer Company with quite the mix of people. We started telling people it was my bachelorette party (which people terrifyingly enough believed) and shut down the bar with our own rendition of piano man.

And for sake of this blog, I'm going to pretend our night ended there but please enjoy these lovely pictures of me and Alyse.

Sunday morning we spent shopping around downtown. Mixed in with the standard touristy surf shops there were some pretty good finds!

Starving once again, we went to the little restaurant next to our hotel called the Black Cat Tavern to order some fried shrimp and clam chowder. The clam chowder was some of the best I've ever had and totally hit the spot - and I ate the whole thing!

(Amazing.)

We then headed to the Veteran's Memorial Beach which was a bit closer to our hotel and, personally, I think it was the better of the two beaches we visited it. While smaller, it was less busy and the water wasn't filled with seaweed. My only complaint, for both beaches, is there weren't enough big waves. I love body surfing and getting tossed around in the water.

(Ready to go back!)

Unfortunately, our time in Hyannis was coming to close and after another ice cream stop we boarded the train back to South Station.

I wish this weekend could have lasted longer. The weather was great. The food was delicious. The hotel was perfect. The beach was relaxing. And the people I spent it with were by far the best.

(Sunset on the train ride home.)

Boston Exploring With Some Lovely Ladies

The weekend I was looking forward to all summer finally came! Marissa and Jess arrived Wednesday evening and our long weekend of adventures kicked off!

Laurissa met the three of us downtown and we headed over to Faneuil Hall for dinner with no particular destination in mind. After taking a quick walk around the Quincy Market area to see the sites, we settled on Mija's - a great Mexican restaurant that has a very authentic feel to it. Wednesday was a fairly quiet night since we were all tired from work and travelling and wanted to get an early start on Thursday.

(Post dinner by Faneuil Hall)

Thursday was my company's summer outing so I parted ways with Marissa and Jess for the beginning of the day. My outing was at Harpoon Brewery and Whiskey Priest, both in the Seaport District. Marissa and Jess spent the better part of the afternoon taking a Freedom Tour Trail before also heading over to Harpoon where I met up with them.

After Marissa and Jess finished their flights of beer and we headed next door to Legal Harborside for a couple of drinks and apps. We had already decided on the North End for dinner but I didn't want them to miss out on Legal's spectacular view of the water and their delicious strawberry sangria. Plus, while we were there we got to enjoy a beautiful double rainbow over the harbor!

(Photo thanks to Mar)

(Delicious strawberry sangria with a view)

(A double rainbow, you can almost see the second one if you look to the left of the big one)

Already full from the apps and wine we had consumed, we started walking towards the North End and met Laurissa along the way. The North End is the equivalent of Boston's Little Italy and I think it is one of its most endearing neighborhoods. Every street is lined with small shops and restaurants and you can find delicious gelatto or cannolis on just about every corner. We randomly chose a restaurant along the main strip and were definitely not let down with our meals - although, some of us had issues with the bathroom situations. *cough*Mar*cough*

Of course, I had to take them to Mike's Pastry. I still stand by what I said previously that it is better than Modern. Marissa and I shared a cannoli and it was sooo good.

(The four of us - all very full on pasta and dessert)

Friday is when the real fun began! I had taken the day off work so I could enjoy the day in the city with Marissa and Jess before catching the train to the Cape (more on that in my next post!).

I took them to the Back Bay area of Boston so we could enjoy the shopping the Newbury St. has to offer. We stopped for some phenomenal breakfast treats at the Thinking Cup (and some caffeine!) before kicking off our shopping spree. This place had a fun, hipster atmosphere with it being set partially underground, lots of great looking pastries, and fun little chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

(Awesome way to start the day!)

I was on the struggle bus hardcore when Marissa asked to go into the Finish store Marimekko and I asked what a "finish" store was - confusion/laughter was on the "what do you mean a black leotard" level. We popped into Barbour too and all tried on awesome jackets and unfortunately found none in our size (note to self: Barbour is not good at making clothes for small people).

A few stores later and we decided it was time to move on to our next destination. I took them through the Boston Gardens and Commons (it's important to note that these are different or else a random stranger may yell at you) which were both gorgeous in the full bloom of summer. And we hopped on the red line to explore Harvard Square.

(Photo courtesy of Jess)

We took a guided tour of Harvard, something I definitely recommend! I learned so many things about the campus that I didn't know before, such as:

• The statue of John Harvard, is not actually John Harvard because we have no idea what he looked like.
• Some Harvard students live in dorms that were once lived in by John Adams, Sam Adams, and John Hancock.
• The main Harvard library extends six stories underground.
• Until 1999, women who attended Harvard received a degree that said Harvard-Radcliffe. (I thought Mar might lose her sh!t here.)

After the tour ended, it was time to head back home so we could get ready to leave for the Cape!

Thought Catalog Post: 7 Things Rowing Teaches You About Life

With some gentle nudging and inspiration from Marissa, I decided to write a second Thought Catalog post. This time I decided to pull from something that has had a major influence on me, particularly my college years: rowing.

My piece takes a look at some of the literal challenges you encounter when rowing on a competitive level with dealing with real life challenges.

So, without further ado, here is my latest piece titled: 7 Things Rowing Teaches You About Life.

Recent Reads: The Invention of Wings

I truthfully didn't know much about Sue Monk Kidd's The Invention of Wings, but it is part of Oprah's Book Club so I figured it had to be good. It was.

The fictional tale follows the lives of Sarah Grimke, a young, slave owner living in the South in the 1800s, and her slave, Hetty a.k.a. Handful. The two girls are close in age and form a close friendship during their childhood and a bond that carries through to adulthood.

The story is told from both girls' points of view. You hear how Sarah struggles with the idea of slavery and her efforts to try and change things but also how her radical ideas form a rift between her and her family. You hear how Handful struggles to find her place in a world where she has no voice, her clever protests against slavery, and the intense bond she shares with her mother.

As a child, Sarah makes a promise to Handful's mother that she will do everything in her power to help Handful become free. The book documents Sarah's journey to keep her promise and Handful's own strides in securing her own freedom.

Additionally, the book goes beyond the issues of slavery to explore female rights and gender equality - a topic not often intertwined with the discussion of slavery. The book also examines the stark contrast of Southern versus Northern lifestyles in the 1800s.